The Dog Stars

By: Peter Heller

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

A riveting, powerful novel about a pilot living in a world filled with loss - and what he is willing to risk to rediscover, against all odds, connection, love, and grace.

Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows. His wife is gone, his friends are dead, he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope. In his 1956 Cessna, Hig flies the perimeter of the airfield or sneaks off to the mountains to fish and to pretend that things are the way they used to be. But when a random transmission somehow beams through his radio, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life - something like his old life - exists beyond the airport.

Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return - not enough fuel to get him home - following the trail of the static-broken voice on the radio. But what he encounters and what he must face - in the people he meets, and in himself - is both better and worse than anything he could have hoped for.

Narrated by a man who is part warrior and part dreamer, a hunter with a great shot and a heart that refuses to harden, The Dog Stars is both savagely funny and achingly sad, a breathtaking story about what it means to be human.

©2012 Peter Heller (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Richly evocative yet streamlined journal entries propel the high-stakes plot while simultaneously illuminating Hig's nuanced states of mind as isolation and constant vigilance exact their toll, along with his sorrow for the dying world.... Heller's surprising and irresistible blend of suspense, romance, social insight, and humor creates a cunning form of cognitive dissonance neatly pegged by Hig as an apocalyptic parody of Norman Rockwell...a novel, that is, of spiky pleasure and signal resonance." ( Booklist)

"In the tradition of postapocalyptic literary fiction such as Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Jim Crace's The Pesthouse, this hypervisceral first novel by adventure writer Heller ( Kook) takes place nine years after a superflu has killed off much of mankind.... With its evocative descriptions of hunting, fishing, and flying, this novel, perhaps the world's most poetic survival guide, reads as if Billy Collins had novelized one of George Romero's zombie flicks. From start to finish, Heller carries the reader aloft on graceful prose, intense action, and deeply felt emotion." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Leave it to Peter Heller to imagine a post-apocalyptic world that contains as much loveliness as it does devastation. His likable hero, Hig, flies around what was once Colorado in his 1956 Cessna, chasing all the same things we chase in these pre-annihilation days: love, friendship, the solace of the natural world, the chance to perform some small kindness, and a good dog for a co-pilot. The Dog Stars is a wholly compelling and deeply engaging debut." (Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted)

Thought provoking post apocalyptic story.

This was worth the time spent listening. I am not a fan of post apocalyptic fiction as it usually involves horrors that I do not find entertaining.

This book, however, is believable. The characters have substance, their need to protect themselves ongoing, and the tedium of little or no change in their microcosms is palpable.

Hig's decision to break the 9 year pattern is a do-or-die move. It has more than one consequence and a new equilibrium is established at the end.

This is not an action packed adrenaline fueled book. It does, however, portray human adaptability and the will to survive. Needless to say some think individually, some on the group level, and some are just evil.

The narration is appropriate for this book; it is not too emotional nor too flat.

Not Typically an Apocalypse Genre Fan

I loved this book. I haven't loved a book this much since listening to/reading Skippy Dies.

I was reading a New York Times book review last week about Peter Heller's latest novel, The Painter. I never read anything by this author. The reviewer said that they like his first novel The Dog Stars better. So I decided to give it a try.

Heller's writing style is very different. I think it's very artistic, beautifully written.

His characters are wonderful especially Hig the protagonist. I love his sensitive description of this man and his dog.

I don't like fishing but I love art. He made fishing feel like art.

This story is believable.

I am now reading/listening to The Painter, Peter Heller's second novel. I'm hoping to love it as much.

Post-apocalyptic story with something for everyone

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I was initially hesitant to listen to this simply because it was post-apocalyptic, it's not really a genre that I seek. I admitt that I didread "The Road" and thought that I didn't really want another gratuitous repeat of the emotional anxiety from that book. BUT THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT! Rather than the inevitable climax and demise of a father-son relationship like "The Road", this book is about the growth and maturation of human relationships with some characters at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum. The first half of the story is really between two men (with a dog in the middle) who are as unlikely allies as I have every come across. Somehow, opposites attract and they make it work (Think George S Patton and Martin Luther King, Jr.). There are some damn funny dialogues interspersed by moments of sheer terror (just remember to BREATHE). The last half of the book is about the book's protagonist Hig (i.e. MLK, jr.) risking all and willing to do whatever it takes (killing be damned) to show that love is the ultimate goal. It's a strange paradox that is captivating to listen to and ponder...what would I do in such a bizarre world.If you want to ponder this question in our own life, than I strongly suggest you listen to one of the best stories and performances I have listened to from audible in many years and covering many books. Don't be dissuaded by the post-apocalyptic time frame, this story is perfectly applicable to the human interactions of the people, cultures, and nations today.

What about Mark Deakins’s performance did you like?

I love a performer who can change his voice so dramatically and effortlessly when two charaters are in a dialogue. This is the true mark of a great book reader. I sure don't want to listen to "Character A said blah, blah blah, and Character B responded blah, blah, blah.VERY nice job!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was too powerful. I needed to think about things in between events. It's hard to go from a death-filled scene to a love scene without a break.

Pure Escapism

I like to read reviews, so that I can find books like this and new authors!


Never heard of Peter Heller, I never saw this book before, and if I had seen this book I would have passed on it purely because of the title. "The Dog Stars" title is a reference made by the main character near the end of the story that has very little outward importance to the contents of the book. It is the kind of title that shows the author's propensity for the 'subtle or poetic' in his writing.

I enjoy reading PA Stories when they have a modicum of good writing surrounding a plausible storyline. "The Dog Stars" is what "Survivors: A Novel" wanted to be, but wasn't.

great story for pilots and pragmatic futurists

What made the experience of listening to The Dog Stars the most enjoyable?

For me, a pilot and sustainability consultant, this was a great survival/journey tale set in a Colorado background I knew so well. Very positive and realistic take on what we can expect if we continue to abuse our planet and each other.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dog Stars?

The narrator learns to deal with his own shortcomings and illusions

Have you listened to any of Mark Deakins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

first time with this author

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed, cried and dreamed

Any additional comments?

Did I mention this is an awesome adventure tale about using your wits to survive?

What is hope in a hopeless world? What is love?

At the risk of divulging too much, it could be argued that The Dog Stars is actually two stories that happen to be intertwined. I'll resist going into any detail, but suffice to say the author did a masterful job of handling the course of the plot and pace at which it plays out. (Mercifully, it means no maddening "to be continued" scenarios.)

Each character required their entire presence in the book to develop, which would make sense were it not for the nature of how the story plays out. It could be argued it served as a payoff in the end, but requires more patience than some readers may have. It tested mine at times.

The narrator did an excellent job overall especially handling the genders and ages. If I had one criticism, it would be the occasional gap in emotive quality expressed vocally as the main character (which is somewhat I ironic.) it never lacks when it would be demanded, but it is as if they seem to fall into an emotionally monotone narrative. It doesn't harm the storytelling, but it was perceptible enough to create what I would qualify as unnatural contrasts.

To be fair, the author does take liberties with rich, immersive descriptions which I found to be wholly satisfying. I felt connected, kindred even, with the main character and his thoughts, observations, and feelings. More so than any other story I've read or watched recently.

And that is a deeper debt than most writers can incur on a reader.

Elegant writing

Poetic novel of a post apocalyptic world without zombies reminded me of George Stewart’s The Earthb Abides.

One of the best in a long time

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A friend described it to me as The Road -- Light. But it is much more than that. Heller has a concise and beautiful writing style that I really enjoyed, and this book has become one of my favorites. With some books I listen to them for fun and can do many things while listening, such as working around the house, and it doesn't diminish the book. I might miss a few details, but it doesn't matter for a fun listen. Not the case with Dog Stars. I wasn't willing to miss a word and so found myself listening only when I could sit and enjoy, or when I was walking with my dog in the woods next to my house. Excellent narration as well. This will be a book that I buy for friends this Christmas.

Apocalyptic book for non preppers.

It seems this book is well suited to people who don’t read this type of book very often. I’m an apocalypse addict - this book was kind of tame but in a good way. Great characters. The reader was ok but just flat enough that I couldn’t stay connected to the audio. It took me a while to get through this - had to constantly play back to see what I missed.

Loved everything about this story!

Peter Heller writes such sweet, lyrical prose that it almost takes you out of the horror his characters are living. I loved that Hig, the story's teller, was still able to see so much natural beauty all around him even though the world had ended and been replaced with a nightmare. He also finds loveliness and a familial connection in the people he happens to meet who decide not to kill him just be cause he might be a threat to them, but wait to see if he might be worth trusting, worth saving, worth forming a bond with. He remains positive in a dark world and he finds light where it still exists, even when it might be hiding. Mark Deakins' narration was perfect. I look forward to more from this author and this narrator.